Vitamin K shot refusal is linked to surge in life-threatening infant bleeding
Babies face higher bleeding risk when parents skip the newborn vitamin K shot.
Two new peer-reviewed studies published in November found a sharp link between rising parental refusal of vitamin K shots and serious bleeding in newborns. Vitamin K refusal rates jumped from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025, while vitamin K deficiency bleeding nearly quadrupled over the same years.
Babies who didn't receive the shot were 47% more likely to bleed in their first six months and twice as likely to suffer a brain bleed or die when hospitalized for bleeding. Newborns start with low vitamin K, which is vital for blood clotting, and cannot make clotting factors on their own.
A single shot within hours of birth, a standard since 1961, protects against life-threatening bleeding in the brain and gut. Experts link the shift to vaccine hesitancy, medical misinformation, and eroding trust in public health since the pandemic.
- 3.1%
- Refusal rate 2017
- 6.8%
- Refusal rate 2025
- 47% more likely
- Bleeding increase in first 6 months
- 2 times more likely
- Brain bleed risk increase
Why it mattersParents who refuse the shot expose their newborn to serious, hidden bleeding that can delay care and cause permanent harm or death.
AustraliaAustralian parents face similar vaccine hesitancy trends; this data shows real stakes if vitamin K uptake falls here, as it has in the US over a decade.
